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"Chase don’t touch anything!” she yells up the steps.
"Nah. Everything can be replaced," I tell her. "By the way, don't you need to get to work?"
She sighs, her expression falling. "Maybe. I don't know if I should bother, though."
"What do you mean?"
"What, you haven't noticed?" she attempts a smile but it falls flat. "We've been steadily losing customers for the past several weeks, now. We only had a single customer yesterday. Except for the day of your carwash, it's been like that since the new bakery opened up downtown. I went there and the place was amazing." She shakes her head. "I don't know if I should quit while I'm ahead and find something else to do."
"Now, that's defeatist talk. I thought you were making a good profit," I say, annoyed to hear her putting herself down. "Also, I doubt that place makes better cupcakes than you."
"We are. And maybe not, but their place is bigger and nicer. Service is faster."
"Well, all that can be fixed with proper marketing."
"Marketing?" she raises an eyebrow.
"Yeah," I say smiling. "There's a lot you can do with marketing. And I can show you how to do it. Consider me your new business manager.
She rolls her eyes laughing. "Right. Well, I better go show Chase where he's going to be staying, before he accidentally goes into Mikey’s room unannounced."
"Yeah. It's the room next to Mikey's."
She nods and starts up the stairs. I'm about to go up with her but my phone rings, and I hesitate at the bottom of the stairs.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Mr. Hardy." I recognize the district chief's voice. "Do you have a moment to talk?"
"Sure," I ask and dread settles in my stomach. I head into the living room for some privacy. Somehow, I just know this isn't good news.
And I'm proven right a few seconds later when she sighs. "Look, there's no easy way to say this so I'm just going to be straight with you. A lot of parents complained about you and, due to the severity of the offense, we'll have to dissolve your team."
9
MIA
I instantly knowsomething’s wrong the minute I go into the living room.
Luke’s expression is tense, his shoulders raised as though he’s trying to physically keep the world from dropping around him. Annoyance ruffles his eyebrows as he shoots his hand through his hair.
“Is that your final decision?” he says to whoever is on the phone. The other individual’s response is short and to the point.
“Nothing can be done?” he asks again, and once again, the answer frustrates him. He tears his hand through his hair once more.
“Alright. Guess that’s it then.”
The other person says something else and then Luke says, "Yeah. I understand. Thanks for calling.” Then he hangs up.
I have a heavy pit in my stomach as I approach him. “What happened?”
He doesn’t look at me at first, staring down at his phone. “That was the head of the PeeWee district.”
“And?” I try not to let my anxiety leak into my voice but it’s there anyway. So is the recurring thought haunting me.What have I done?
He glances up and I see the answer in his eyes before he even says the words. “They’re disbanding the team.”
“Oh no.” My hand flies over my mouth as the bomb drops, the shards cutting through my conscience. “Luke…I’m so sorry.” Sorry doesn't even begin to cut it. I made a mess of everything, and I wish I could go back in time to before I ever made the report.
